Babysitting
by chibijem
Summary: Tomomasa with the help of Takamichi, watches over a tiny girl...


Babysitting

By

Chibijem

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Written May 2008

Edited December 2015

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters herein with the exception of Saeko and her mother Tomoko and am making no financial gain from this work of fiction. .

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Tachibana no Tomomasa followed the sound of a child crying out into his gardens. He had been given a rare day away from his duties and had been reading one of the books he had borrowed from Fujiwara no Takamichi. He had tried his best to ignore the crying but it had become a persistent annoyance. He tracked the now sniffling noise to a bank of flowering bushes; he parted the greenery to peer down at a tiny girl in a slightly soiled kimono. He recognized the child as being the daughter of one of his household staff. "What do we have here?" He asked softly, kneeling as he drew the child from her hiding place. Seeing the sad look in the tear-filled eyes, he raised a finger and tapped the girl's nose with it. "A sprite?" The girl shook her head. "No? Hmmmm….a fairy? Not that either," the general continued when she repeated her action. "Well you certainly cannot be a demon," he said, reaching out with his long, graceful fingers to tickle her. He smiled when she laughed. "Well then, we know you can make noise so what is your name?"

"Saeko," the child whispered, looking down at the grass.

"And where are your otousan and okaasan? I am quite sure they are missing you."

Before she could answer, a harried young woman came rushing out of the main house. She came up to the tall army officer, falling to her knees in a bow. "Gomen nasai, Tachibana-sama."

Tomomasa looked confused, "Whatever for?"

"I had no one who could look after her today. I know I should not have brought her demo…."

The teal haired court official held up a hand to stop the woman's explanation, "No harm done." He smiled and motioned for the woman to rise. "But tell me, you say you have no one to help look after her? No family?" He asked, sitting on a nearby rock and taking the woman's daughter onto his lap.

"Hai, we came from our village for the safety of the city. I was lucky to find this position."

"Your husband?"

"He is with Endo-shoushou-sama on his campaign."

"I see," Tomomasa knew of the battle to keep away an invading force from across the great sea. He, himself, had recommended Endo to the Emperor. "The fighting goes well, from all reports." He assured her.

"Otousan will come home, won't he, Tomo….Tomoma….?" Saeko asked softly, having trouble with the general's name.

"Tomomasa," he said for the tiny girl sitting against him, enunciating each syllable. When her mother made to correct him, he shook his head. "I do not stand for ceremony in my own home….?" He queried for the woman's name.

"Tomoko." She offered.

"Tomoko-san." He smiled. "I have made a new friend in your daughter and friends never ask for social politeness, ne Saeko-chan?" He leaned down to press a kiss to the top of the child's head causing his long, thick hair to cascade over her and making her giggle.

"Hai," she chirped, playing with the teal locks.

"Good girl." He looked to the woman, "I will look after her."

"Demo…. You should be relaxing as you have no duties today." The mother argued.

"And I will relax: spending the day with your daughter."

"Tomomasa-sama," Tomoko began. She saw him lift one elegant eyebrow and stopped. The general's stubbornness when he set his mind to something was legendary. "If you are certain?" She said finally, looking skittish.

"I am," he replied. Turning her attention back to the small child playing with his hair, he addressed her. "Ne, Saeko-chan? I think we can amuse ourselves for the day." When she lifted her head and looked up at him, he laughed as he saw that she had braided their hair together.

Several hours later the general and his tiny companion were in the gardens resting in the shade of a tree. Teal eyes skimmed an old but cherished book as he read the tale to Saeko. When he heard a sigh and then the small body against his go lax, he set aside the volume and glanced down at the dark head laying against his broad chest. "Did I tire you out?"

"I am not sleepy," came the rebuttal.

"Of course not," he settled himself more comfortably, wrapping his charge in his protective embrace. "But I am a bit worn out; will you let me rest a bit? Then I will finish the story."

"Hai," was the drowsy reply.

Tomomasa opened his eyes and studied the dark head resting with such trust against him. Mere minutes later, he raised a fingers to his lips when Fujiwara no Takamichi came upon them.

The bespectacled teen knelt before the odd couple. "It seems you have a way with females, no matter their years, Tomomasa-dono." Golden eyes sparkled with humor.

"You wound me, Takamichi," the army officer whispered. "I'll have you know I have behaved honorably."

"Hai, I met her mother as I came in. It is very nice of you to watch over her." The vice minister reached for the discarded book. "Any excuse, ne?" The volume he held was one of the general's oldest possessions, a favorite from his boyhood.

Tomomasa just gave a non-committal shrug. He glanced down as Saeko shifted a bit; the two men shared a loving look as the girl slept on. "Am I needed?" Teal eyes watched as his younger friend studied the child on his lap.

"Iie, I thought I would fetch you and we could share a meal." Takamichi replied as he made himself more comfortable on the grass. "But it looks as though you are otherwise engaged." He nodded at the slumbering child. He had often wondered what his companion would have been like as a father. It was a wonderful glimpse into the army officer.

"There is no reason we cannot share a meal," the older man replied. "It will just have to be here instead of our usual haunts." He adjusted his hold on Saeko when she shifted. "Did we wake you?" He asked when, after rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she moved closer, seeing Takamichi sitting so close. "It is all right." Tomomasa assured the girl, "Takamichi is a very dear friend. He will not harm you."

At this, the Vice Minister bowed at the two and introduced himself. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Saeko-chan."

"You talk funny."

Tomomasa let out a laugh at his youngest friend's assessment of the court official. "Gomen ne, Takamichi." He said, humor coloring his words and smooth voice. "You do have to admit, you are somewhat overly polite at times."

"Tomomasa-dono, when meeting someone for the first time, it is best to be formal." Takamichi huffed and then smiled at the child. "As you can see, Saeko-chan, there are times when even our elders need to be taught something." He winked at the girl as if sharing a secret.

Saeko laughed when the general made a noise of disbelief. "Hai," she giggled.

"I am wounded. I am at an unfair disadvantage….two against one." He cried in mock injury.

"Tomomasa-sama," Saeko laughed at his antics. So much so she rolled out of his lap and onto the grass, where the army officer started tickling her. "Yamate, kudasai…."She begged after a time.

The teasing stopped when Tomomasa's housekeeper announced the midday meal. The two men each took one of the girl's hands and walked her to the house. It was mid-afternoon and the two courtiers were entertaining her. Tomomasa was begged to play his biwa when Saeko learned from Takamichi that the teal haired general played. The two conspirators sat and listened as he played and sang for his audience. As Tomomasa sang a slow song, almost a lullaby, the two men shared a tender look as the tiny girl curled up in Takamichi's lap and settled into a nap. The general knelt and studied her, raising a tender finger to brush the silky hair from her cherubic face. "What are we doing, Takamichi?"

"What do you mean?" The bespectacled court officer whispered.

"Here we sit, the two of us, taking care of a child." Tomomasa mused.

"Where else should we be?"

"I have no right to this…to share in this innocent child's life."

Golden eyes, studied the teal haired man as the other kept his eyes on the slumbering child. Takamichi knew of Tomomasa's life as a general and the battles and how it wore on his friend. "I can think of no one who deserves this more." He replied softly, reaching out with his free hand-his other holding the child-to cup his companion's jaw. "She is the reason why we fight, why we search for justice."

"Hai," Tomomasa met warm golden eyes. "Arigato for reminding me."

It was several days later and laughter was once again ringing in the Tachibana gardens. Tomomasa was entertaining Saeko with Takamichi the brunt of their play. The teal eyed general had stolen away the young court official's glasses and was mimicking him much to the delight of his young guest. The trio had spent the days away playing games of hide and seek and tag among others. The Byakko hachiyo had even taken the child to the markets even introduced her to the Miko, Fuji-hime and their hachiyo brothers.

"Tomomasa…." Takamichi sighed good naturedly.

"Tomomasa. You should be behaving more like a court official not a child." The army officer said copying his friend's voice and mannerisms. He smiled at Saeko's giggles. "That was what you were going to say, ne?" He turned his teal gaze to Takamichi.

"I suppose," the vice minister grumbled.

Not long after, Tomoko came to take her daughter home for the day. As the two men stood at the estate gate watching to two females walk away, Takamichi heard a sad sigh come from his companion. "Daijoubu desu ka?"

"Hai," Tomomasa replied as he started back to the main house. "She brings such life here." He mused.

"She does. But you are not exactly lifeless either." Takamichi said, walking slightly ahead of his friend. "You proved that last night."

"Would you like a repeat demonstration?" Tomomasa jumped past and vaulted onto the first step to look down at his partner, a gleam in his eyes.

"That would definitely not be behaving like a court official," Takamichi replied slyly, climbing the steps and taking Tomomasa by his outer kimono and pulling him along.

FIN


End file.
